One reason for the great popularity of scratch-off lottery tickets is that they are freely accessible. The lottery ticket is unique in that unlike other games of chance, such as bingo or any variety of casino games, the product is in the form of a ticket which comes to the consumer, not vice versa. That is to say, scratch-off lottery tickets are sold at establishments such as convenience stores, liquor stores, filling stations, as well as other retail outlets. The buyer of such tickets usually makes his or her purchase as an afterthought, with the ticket usually being bought because it, as well as change in the form of cash, happened to be available at the checkout counter of an establishment which the purchaser patronized. Establishments such as those listed above generally have certain characteristics in common: a steady stream of people, little or no privacy afforded the patron, and a limited amount of area or space.
Another unique aspect of the lottery ticket is the desire of many purchasers to be afforded at least some degree of privacy when conducting the act of exposing the ticket's variables. While there are no known scientific studies which have explored this phenomena, it is reasonable to assume that the typical purchaser does not wish for a stranger to witness the results of his or her gamble for fear that he or she will look the part of a fool when it is shown that his or her lottery ticket yielded the purchaser nothing. Alternatively, the purchaser may fear that he or she will appear foolish if, for example, he or she becomes excited when a token sum is won and reinvested at once in more tickets, on the hope that one of them may contain the numbers or symbols needed to win the maximum lottery prize. One optimal place to be afforded the desired space, comfort, and privacy needed to enjoy and appreciate the act of exposing lottery tickets is the inside of the parked or otherwise disengaged automobile driven by the purchaser to the filling station, convenience store, or liquor store. Unfortunately, scratch-off lottery cards usually employ a latex type surface layer which is to be scraped to expose the hidden indicia. The resulting residue is not only unsightly, but is difficult to remove from fabric and upholstery as well. Further, unless the buyer of the ticket has a hard surface such as a book or the like upon which to scrape the ticket, he or she will likely use, out of necessity, a clumsy surface such as the dash-board or one's knee for under support. Thus, the hard-to-clean residue may end up on the car seat, in the fabric of one's clothes, or in the car's carpeted floor. What is needed is a device which allows for accommodation of one's desire to play the lottery in the privacy of his or her own automobile while insuring that by doing so, he or she will not become uncomfortable or create a mess in the process.